Charged with balancing the complex programmatic requirements of both state-of-the-art medical school learning facilities and library holdings that serve the entire Medical Center, the design had to negotiate combining differing goals within the 60,000 SF modernist library. This first renovation of the original, painstakingly-designed and executed structure, strove to respect the original detailing and materiality while incorporating the design of new spaces, technologies, modes of teaching, and student study areas. The result had to provide the proper environment to support the School of Medicine's innovative curriculum, while continuing to accommodate the diverse needs of Vanderbilt's ten schools and colleges which all patronize the Library.

Originally constructed in 1994, the four-story library is composed of white precast panels with a point-supported, clear glass curtain wall enclosing a full height atrium space. The extensive renovation encompassed all floors and provides new team-based learning (TBL) classrooms, meeting rooms, collection storage, exhibition space, and research assistance. The design utilizes the atrium to connect all aspects of the student experience of learning and research, while also clearly expressing the excellence of the School of Medicine and its facilities as a role in recruiting new students. A careful organization of the medical school program created a vertical progression of movement and encouraging the interaction of students and faculty throughout the building, and the cross-pollination achieved by mixing students from all colleges within the ground floor library spaces. The deletion of a vestibule and an under-used stair introduced daylight and visual connectivity while expanding the usable footprint of the main level to achieve new support and research areas for the library.

Completed in 2018, the renovation supports the next generation of physicians, scientists, students, and patients, putting Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine and Health Science new facility on par with other leading institutions around the country.